Intelligent Retail vs Epos Now: which EPoS is built for independent retailers?
If you’re an independent retailer researching EPoS systems, you’ve almost certainly come across Epos Now. It’s heavily marketed, and those introductory hardware prices look tempting. So here’s an honest, side-by-side look at how it compares to Connect; our multichannel EPoS built specifically for shops like yours.
The real question isn’t “which system has more features?” It’s “which system was built for a business like mine?“
Two systems, two very different jobs
Epos Now is a general-purpose POS, built to serve everyone from barbers and coffee shops to bars, restaurants and large chains. It’s broad, quick to set up, and does that job well.
Connect by Intelligent Retail is a specialist. For over 20 years we’ve built one thing: a multichannel system for independent retailers who sell in-store, online, and across marketplaces like eBay and Amazon, all from one place. Every feature exists for that kind of shop, and that difference shapes everything else.
What Connect does
Connect runs on a single product database. You set a product up once and it flows across every channel, your till, your Intelligent Retail website, eBay and Amazon. Sell something in-store and it drops off your online listings in real time. No manual updates, no overselling, no double-handling.
It also handles what retail actually runs on: replenishment and purchase orders, multi-store stock and transfers, loyalty and customer accounts, promotions that apply in-store and online, and reporting on margins, stock days and supplier contribution. The eCommerce site is built and hosted in-house, with predictive search, abandoned-basket emails and more; not a separate add-on you rent. And because Connect works offline, a dropped connection doesn’t stop you trading.
Where Epos Now diverges for retailers
Epos Now offers a solid cloud POS and an AppStore of 50+ integrations (Shopify, Xero, Deliveroo and others). If you like picking and choosing your own tools, that’s appealing.
The gap shows in the detail. Multichannel selling, connecting your till to a website, eBay and Amazon, relies on third-party apps and extra subscriptions rather than being native to the system. And much of the stock guidance is aimed at hospitality. As one embroidery retailer put it on Capterra, the examples “are basically in the hospitality sector, so I’ve decided to give it a miss.”
What real users report
You deserve the full picture. Epos Now has a strong 4.3/5 from 25,000+ Trustpilot reviews, and the praise for its support staff during onboarding is genuine and consistent.
But two themes in the critical reviews matter a great deal to small retailers:
Mid-contract price rises. A coffee-shop owner’s December 2025 Capterra review describes a card-processing rate climbing from 0.55% to 0.8% mid-contract, a 45% jump, with the hard-won advice to get “all price assurances confirmed in writing, particularly for fixed-term contracts.”
Fees for using your own card processor. Choose not to use Epos Now’s own payment processing and you may face a surcharge. One UK business owner reported a ” 90 a month surcharge because I won’t use their payment processor” over £1,000 a year that never appears in the headline price.
By contrast, Connect’s 4.6/5 (from 63 largely unprompted Trustpilot reviews) is honest about trade-offs. One five-year customer wrote: “The Connect system has limitations but is a perfect fit for us as a small independent.” Where feedback points to areas to improve the reporting is powerful but takes time to learn. We take it seriously, which is exactly what our UK-based support team is there for.
The pricing reality
We won’t win on headlines: Epos Now’s hardware from £299 is an eye-catching start. Total cost of ownership is the real conversation. Add the monthly software (25, 54), the care-and-support plan, app subscriptions for integrations, roughly 1.7% card fees, and a possible fee for using your own processor and the 24-month figure climbs well beyond the sticker, before any mid-contract increases.
Connect offers subscription or perpetual-licence pricing, agreed with you directly. No payment-processor surcharges, no hidden fees, pay-per-feature app store, and your website is part of what we do. Ask any provider for a full 24-month projection before you sign, we’re confident in how that comparison looks.
At a glance
| Intelligent Retail | Epos Now |
Built for | Independent Retailers | Retail and Hospitality |
Works Offline | Yes – Keeps Trading | Cloud first – Limited Offline |
Multichannel | Native ‘All-in-one’ | Via 3rd Party Apps |
Pricing | Subscription or Licence | Subscription 12-24 month contract |
eCommerce | Built and Integrated In House | 3rd Party |
Support | UK Based Retail Specialists | General Strong Onboarding, Overseas Support |
Trustpilot | 4.6/5 (63 Reviews) | 4.3/5 (25,600 Reviews) |
Which should you choose?
Epos Now suits a business that wants a quick, low-cost entry-level POS and is happy managing app subscriptions; especially in hospitality. If that’s you, get everything in writing: card rates, any partner fees, and the exact cancellation process.
Connect is for independent retailers serious about selling across channels; a shop and a website today, maybe eBay, Amazon and more locations tomorrow. If stock accuracy, margin visibility, multichannel sync and a website that actually converts are priorities, that’s precisely what we built.
We’re not the right fit for everyone. We’re not a hospitality system, and we’re not the cheapest entry point. We’re the specialist, built for, and proven with, independent UK retailers for over 20 years.
See Connect by Intelligent Retail in Action
If you’re weighing up your options, we’d love to show you what Connect can do for your shop; no pressure, no hard sell, just a straightforward demo from people who understand independent retail.
*Third-party review data is sourced from Trustpilot and Capterra as of June 2026. Epos Now pricing reflects publicly available information and verified user reports. We encourage every business to do its own due diligence before choosing an EPoS provider.*